The Pima Town Council unanimously approved a sewer extension on 600 East that connects the Alder Heights subdivision to the town's sewer pond at its meeting Tuesday.

Alder Heights is a 63-lot subdivision that, along with Alder Heights II, was previously annexed into the town. The infrastructure for Alder Heights has been completed, and one homeowner, former Town Manager Vince Kieffer, has a completed house in the subdivision and uses the sewer extension. There is no current house construction at the subdivision, and Alder Heights II, which has no developed infrastructure, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 11.

Rob Merrill, manager of the subdivisions' developer, Solstice LLC, gave a presentation about the sewer pipe to the council. He said the extension has been in the works for a considerable amount of time, but he felt it was now ready for approval. A recent video inspection of the pipeline indicated a single 5-foot section that is within a half-inch out of line with the rest of the pipe.

Merrill said the small dip in the single section would not cause any problems, according to a sewer pipe expert.

Councilor Sherri Rozell asked why the section couldn't be fixed so it aligned perfectly with the rest of the pipe.

Merrill said his company had already opened the hole at that section three previous times, and each time the soil is disturbed makes the problem worse.

"It's within close enough tolerance that I really think we would just make the problem worse if we went in there and disturbed that soil again," he said.

Merrill said the section has been stabilized in the same position since December, and a recent video inspection showed it has not moved.

Solstice LLC will purchase the hot mix to repair the road that was cut up to install the sewer extension and concrete for concrete aprons on the north and south sides of Highway 70.

The town of Pima will perform the road reconstruction and will be reimbursed for labor and use of equipment.